Practicing of the batting of baseballs or the like can be greatly facilitated by making use of tossing apparatus which simulates a human pitcher by repetitively directing balls towards the batter.
An advantageous known type of such apparatus has a gently inclined ball feeding trough in which a series of balls are placed and ball dispensing mechanism which may be tapped with the tip of a baseball bat or the like to initiate release of a ball. The lower end of the trough, from which the balls drop, extends into a trough support which is secured to the top of a steeply inclined ball acceleration chute. The lower end of the chute curves upwardly to direct the balls into a trajectory which initially extends upward and outward from the end of the chute. The chute is supported by a stand, typically of the tripod form, which has means for enabling adjustment of the height of the lower end of the chute to accommodate to batters of different sizes.
In ball tossers of the above described type, the lengthy ball feeding trough and lengthy ball acceleration chute have opposite inclinations and extend from the trough support at different angles. The assembled support tripod extends in still other directions. Thus, the assembled device is expansive in both the horizontal and vertical directions and exhibits prominent differently directed structural projections. Consequently, manufacturers package and ship the devices in a partially unassembled condition and retailers sell the devices in that condition. Final assembly is typically left to the purchaser.
In addition to assembly of the support tripod, the purchaser has been required to fasten one end of the ball feeding trough to the trough support with a series of thumbscrews, bolts or the like.
It would be advantageous to simplify the assembly process. While the need to perform an initial assembly might be considered to be a minor inconvenience, in practice the user of the device often finds it necessary to disassemble and reassemble the apparatus repetitively in some cases with each usage. The user may need to carry the device out of a home or other building prior to use and then return it after use. Often the user wishes to transport the device to a playing field or other distant open area. The device, in its assembled form, is heavy and cumbersome to carry and cannot easily be transported in many automotive vehicles. Finding storage space for the expansive assembly can also be a problem. The thumbscrews, bolts or the like that have heretofore been used to fasten the ball feeding trough to its support are small objects that can easily be overlooked or lost.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.